Tipo 00's spaghetti with strawberry clams, chilli and smoked tomato

The smoked tomatoes lift this dish above most seafood pastas; repeat the smoking process as much as you'd like to deepen the flavour.

May 02, 2016 2:00pm

By Andreas Papadakis

Serves 4

30 mins preparation

30 mins cooking

Tipo 00's spaghetti with strawberry clams, chilli and smoked tomato

"This is a classic and simple dish that's lifted by the smoked tomatoes," says Papadakis. "If you can't find strawberry clams, diamond-shell clams are a great substitute - they are meaty, sweet and have a distinct ocean flavour." At the restaurant, the chefs make their own spaghetti; we've used dried pasta here.

Ingredients

375 gm cherry tomatoes

125 ml extra-virgin olive oil (½ cup)

2 tbsp smoking chips, soaked in cold water for 25 minutes

2 tbsp finely chopped garlic (6 cloves)

1 long red chilli, finely chopped

125 ml dry white wine (½ cup)

1 kg strawberry clams or large diamond-shell clams

250 fish stock (1 cup)

6 basil leaves, torn

400 gm dried spaghetti

2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Main

1

Preheat oven to 140C. Place tomatoes in a deep roasting pan, season with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt, and roast until slightly blistered (10-12 minutes).

2

Place smoking chips in a small metal container (or on a piece of foil on a flameproof tray) and heat over high heat until they start to smoke (5-10 minutes; or light the woodchips using a blowtorch). Once the flames subside and the chips start smoking, add them to the roasting pan with the tomatoes, cover with foil and stand for 20-25 minutes. Repeat the process if you like a smokier flavour.

3

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add remaining olive oil, garlic and chilli, and sauté until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add white wine, then clams, stock and basil, cover with a lid and cook, shaking pan occasionally, until clams open (3-4 minutes). Season to taste.

4

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water until al dente (5-10 minutes), then drain, reserving a little pasta water.

5

Add spaghetti, smoked tomatoes and parsley to clam sauce and toss to combine, adding a little pasta water if needed to coat pasta. Season to taste, divide among warm bowls and serve.